Coping with Sexual Harassment and Assault (2)

By: Beth McHugh 2006

Sexual assault cuts across gender and racial boundaries causing distress
to both sufferers and their loved ones. When sexual assault occurs,
it often turns the life of the victim upside down as they struggle to
deal with a raft of mixed emotions.

Unfortunately, it is hard to prepare yourself for many of life’s
more difficult challenges, but having knowledge about what happens on
a psychological basis after an assault and ways to deal with the aftermath
can go a long way to helping ourselves and others deal with this all-too-common
crime.

Statistics show that, for females, the highest rate of sexual assault
is reported by females aged 10-14 years, although babies as young as
one month old and the elderly (80+) are also common targets. Females
consistently record higher rates of sexual assault than males irrespective
of age. However, males are also targets right across the age spectrum,
from birth onwards, with the highest rate occurring in the under 15
group.

Of course, the available statistics represent the tip of the iceberg
as the majority of cases of sexual assault go unreported. Case workers
estimate that of the women who access counseling for sexual assault,
less than half will go on to report the matter and follow up through
the court system. An even larger proportion does not access counseling;
hence the true number of sexual assault cases goes largely unrecorded.

Part of the reason why help in the form of counseling is not always
accessed can be better understood by looking at what happens to a women
when she is sexually assaulted. In many ways, the act of sexual assault
mimics any trauma in our lives, particularly death. The victim of an
assault goes through many of the same phases that a person goes through
when hearing of the death of a loved one.

Initially, there may be denial that the assault has happened. This
is not to say that the sufferer believes that the event has not taken
place (although in rare cases, a psychotic break may occur in which
the event is repressed) but merely that the severity of the attack is
minimized by the victim in order to cope better. Ritualized washing
may be present, in which the victim may take repeated showers and baths
in an attempt to cleanse themselves of the essence of the perpetrator.
Inappropriate anger and rage, especially directed at close family and
friends, is also common, as is depression, anxiety, guilt, and an exaggerated
startle response.

In coming blogs, we will look at the important of talking and the role
of counseling.